Around the Region continued

Summary for 1995

At Lake Sevan, Armenia c. 100 Bewick's Swans Cygnus columbianus were present from 15-17 November with 223 there in early December, the first record. Additionally the seventh record in Turkey was of one at Kizilirmak Delta on 26 December 1993, pre-dating that at Burdur Gölü in December 1994 (Orn. Soc. Middle East Bull. 35: 74), which becomes the eighth. Other interesting wildfowl included three Greylag Geese Anser anser at Al Ansab lagoons, Oman on 16 November and five W hite-fronted Geese A. albifrons at two sites in Oman between between November 1994 and 9 February. Two Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca at Al Ansab lagoons on 24 August were the earliest ever arrivals in Oman, whilst one at Zabeel ponds, UAE was an unusual record in the Emirates between 28 October-25 November. The fourth Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea and sixth Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina in UAE were both at Khor Dubai from 21 November into 1996. In Jordan four Gadwall Anas strepera and a male Pochard Aythya ferina at Ghadir Burqu' on 31 December were both scarce records; the former being the first away from Azraq. A waterfowl count of the Turkish Black Sea coast, between Samsun and the Georgian border, in mid-February produced six Common Scoter Melanitta nigra at Eynesil, with another two at Yesilirmak Delta on the late date of 9 May. Over 500 White-headed Ducks Oxyura leucocephala at Tishlouit Reservoir on 10 November with 60-80 on nearby Lake Kefar Barukh in December were significant numbers for northern Israel.

Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus has apparently been overlooked in the past: the second Israeli and fifth Middle Eastern record was reported at Lotan in the southern Arava Valley on 14 May (Birding World 9 (1): 23). A vagrant juvenile Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus was at Sharm-el Sheikh from 15 August to 24 October at least. Also in Egypt, a juvenile White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla in southern Sinai from 23 August-24 October was the first record in Egypt since 1954. The first breeding record of Griffon Vulture Gyps fulv us in Jordan for many years involved five pairs in Dana Nature Reserve, whilst three pairs each of Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus and Bonelli's Eagle Hieraeetus fasciatus, both rare breeding species in Jordan, were found at the same site, with one or two of the latter also at Mujib Nature Reserve in December and January 1996. Also in the latter country were unusually large numbers of Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus in winter 1995/96, including 3-4 at South Shun eh on 24 November. An adult Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus was on the lower slopes of Jabal Sharda, near Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia on 9 March. In the same area there were two records of Shikra Accipter badius: at Wadi Marhaba on 6 April, and Raidah slopes the next day, where a breeding population was recently discovered (Clark & Parslow 1991). In Armenia a claimed Shikra (see Birding World 8 (9): 335), near Meghri on 24 September is apparently not substantiable, whi lst Levant Sparrowhawk A. brevipes was proven to breed for the first time in Armenia this summer. Another new breeding species for this ornithologically little known country was Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis. There were two reports of Verreaux's Eagle A. verreauxii in early April from south-west Saudi: this species was only proven to breed there in 1989 (Eichacker 1990). The fifth to seventh Lesser Spotted Eagles A. pomarina in UAE were recorded betwe en 10-23 November. This species appears to have been overlooked in the past. An immature Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus claimed at Al Wathba, UAE from 9-21 July (see Birding World 8 (8): 292) has since been reidentified (from photographs) as the first country record of Amur Falcon F. amurensis by Dick Forsman (C. Richardson in litt.). An immature male of the latter species was near Taqah, Oman on 30 November. In the same country, a Merlin F. columbarius near Mughsayl on 19 January was the second record.

Go back to top of this page of previous Around the Region
Go back to previous page of previous Around the Region
Move on to next page of previous Around the Region
Return to previous Around the Region contents page

Return to OSME Contents page